DUNSTAN, Lawrence Henry
| Service Number: | 2360 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | South Australia, 12 May 1898 |
| Home Town: | Kensington Park, Burnside, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Grange School |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Adelaide, South Australia, 23 January 1964, aged 65 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Privately Cremated |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 2360, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Kanowna embarkation_ship_number: A61 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 2360, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Kanowna, Adelaide |
Help us honour Lawrence Henry Dunstan's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Lawrence Henry Dunstan was born on 12th May 1898, Kensington Park, Adelaide, South Australia. He was the seventh child to Mildred Constance Burden and John Dunstan. He was one of nine children, three older brothers, three older sisters and two younger brothers. They were of British heritage and their religion was The Church of England. The address of the family home was Burnside Road, Knights Bridge, South Australia. Lawrence Dunstan was educated at Grange school as a child, where he attended with his siblings, and went on to become a junior clerk prior to his enlistment.
Lawrence was enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) at the Keswick barracks on the 7th of March 1915, when he was only 18 years and 2 months old. Dunstan did not have the perfect body type for war, as he was only 5 foot 4 inches (163 centimetres) and weighed 114 pounds (52 kilograms). His weight and height were considerably below average, which shows Dunstan had a strong sense of bravery and courage compared to others in his position. His complexion was noted as dark and his eyes and hair were brown in colour. Before embarkation, his marriage status was single and did not have any children. Dunstan was leaving behind his 8 siblings and parents when joining the AIF.
Dunstan Embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board HMAT A61 Kanowna with the 10th Infantry Battalion, 7th Reinforcement, on the 23rd of June 1915. He arrived in Alexandria, Egypt on the 4th of November 1915, where he proceeded to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (MEF) which was part of the British Army that commanded all Allied forces at Gallipoli and Salonika.
On 16th of November 1915, Dunstan was admitted to hospital after becoming ill with gastrointestinal problems, including severe diarrhoea. He remained in hospital for three days and after his discharge, he was engaged in the Gallipoli Western Front and on 20th of November, Dunstan was taken on strength.
A month later, Dunstan acquired enteric fever and was transferred to a convalescent camp in Heliopolis Port Said, Egypt. A convalescent camp was set up to house men that were not well enough to join their forces, but not ill or wounded enough to take up a hospital bed. Dunstan was deemed too ill to remain in Egypt and on 13th December 1915, commenced his journey back to Adelaide, South Australia. On his arrival on 12th January 1916, he was admitted to the Keswick Hospital. Dunstan required eight months to fully recover from enteric fever and remained in Adelaide until 28th of August 1916, where he again embarked for England to join the war effort.
In England, Dunstan was promoted to a Temporary Sergeant from a Corporal, 1st of December 1916. He marched out from England to France to join his unit on the 22nd of December 1916 and was taken on strength on the 29/12/1916 to the 10th battalion. On the 8th of July 1917, he was admitted to hospital after having an unknown sickness in France. He returned to his duties two weeks later, only to be re-admitted to hospital on the 4th of November diagnosed with scabies.
After fully recovering from scabies, Dunstan returned to his unit two months later, in France. On the 14th of September he went on a two week leave to the United Kingdom. On completion of his leave, he remained in England where he joined the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) and began training as an AFC pilot on the 16th of October. Australia was the only British dominion to establish a Flying Corps during WWI. He was dischared 1st June 1919 ad returned to Australia on the 7th of July 1919 and made his way back home to Adelaide on the 2nd of September.
Upon Dunstan’s return to Australia, he married Amelia Estelle Stewart at St Anne’s Church in Aldinga, South Australia on the 23rd of September 1922. The couple became parents to daughter June Dunstan, and son John Dunstan. Lawrence died on the 23rd of January 1964 aged 65 years. He was buried at Centennial Park cemetery, together with his wife who died in 1953.
During Dunstan’s war service, he consistently showed that he reflected the Anzac spirit. He suffered many health issues but always showed bravery and resilience by recovering and putting himself back on the war fields. He demonstrated the quality of leadership throughout his war campaign because he returned to Australia as a sergeant. He showed perseverance and courage when training to be an AFC pilot because planes often faced mechanical malfunctions and failures, as they were a new development. Dunstan was recognised for his bravery during battle in the face of the enemy and was mentioned in dispatches. He received the 1914-15-star medal which was given to soldiers that fought in WWI against the central European powers. Recipients of this medal also received a British War Medal and a Victory Medal.
LEST WE FORGET